To double farmers’ income by 2022, farm productivity needs to be integrated with other income generation activities and all agricultural schemes should be implemented efficiently with an integrated approach, newly appointed Minister of State (MoS) for Agriculture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said after taking charge of the Ministry today.

Gajendra Shekhawat is a BJP leader from Jodhpur, Rajasthan. Taking to reporters he said that his ground level and direct experience would help in identifying farmers problems and resolving them. “ I am familiar with problems, challenges of the farmers in Rajasthan and for that matter whole country. The Prime Minister has introduced several farmer-centric schemes. Those schemes needs to implemented efficiently,” he added.

According to him, agriculture has to be knowledge driven and farm income needs to be supplemented by allied activities. “ We should not carried away by data dynamics but to achieve set goals. Schemes like Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna has full potential to transform agriculture sector,” Shekhawat said.

Shekhawat, known as Gajju Bana, is a popular young leader of Rajasthan. He is known as grass root leader and social media savvy. He said that social media has all potential to impart knowledge to the farmers and this medium should be used for the benefits of the people.

His promotion form Lok Sabha Member (Jodhpur) to MoS is part of the BJP’s plans for the coming elections in Rajasthan, which has been under-represented in the Union Cabinet. He recently drew Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attention during a BJP parliamentary party meeting where he gave a power-point presentation on the implementation of government schemes.

Shekhawat is also the general secretary of RSS-promoted Seema Jan Kalyan Samiti, whose objective is to create a “civil line of secondary defence along the international border, covering four major districts of Rajasthan and about 17 tehsils”. Known for his accessibility and cordial nature in his constituency, Shekhawat is most popular among farmers community in Jodhpur region.

He engages with people on the Q & A community — Quora. He regularly answers a range of questions, embedding in the answers the Modi government’s flagship initiatives and the Prime Minister’s image of a simple, hardworking man.

Shekhawat said he will devote 7-8 days for in-depth understanding the sector and then only he will speak out his mind on specific issues.